Urban gerontological spaces
Introduction
A home for the elderly or residence for the elderly also called in some countries nursing home, or nursing home, geriatric residence is an institution where elderly people reside, temporarily or permanently because in most cases, the residents have a certain degree of dependency, and sometimes it functions as a private home, with or without additional medical services.
In certain cases they are administered as a gerontological center. The residences offer personal development services and social-health care. In cases where it includes geriatric services, it is a team of appropriate professionals with specific training in geriatrics.
History
In the year 400 he operated a nursing home in the city of Hippos (or Sussita) in Israel near the Sea of Galilee. This is demonstrated by archaeological findings of a Byzantine-style mosaic plaque, influenced by Christian values, which says: “Peace be upon the elderly”, similar to what Jesus said “Peace be upon you”. Scholars indicate that the community not only cared for its elders, but publicly blessed them, and dedicated artistic efforts and works of art to them and symbolically placed them at the center of urban life.[1].
The Antezana institution in Spain dates back to 1483, being one of the oldest socio-health institutions in continuous operation in Europe, which still functions as a nursing home, located in Alcalá de Henares by bull of Pope Sixtus IV. The institution is governed by the Antezana Foundation, with a Board of Knights, and has not stopped serving in its social work since then.
Gerontological and geriatric institutions
It is convenient to distinguish between gerontology and geriatrics. Gerontology includes basic care aimed at older people in general, while geriatrics covers, from healthy aging, to the different pathologies most typical of that life stage and the so-called geriatric syndromes. The specific knowledge of these professionals is accredited through the official titles of Specialist in Geriatrics (medical professionals) and Specialist in Geriatric Nursing (nurses). These are the official names in Spain (see the different specialty decrees in force in Spain and their equivalences). There are no specific official titles in other disciplines.